Lyme Disease Support Group

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. It is now one of the fastest growing infectious diseases in the U.S. Lyme disease is caused by infection with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, and is primarily transmitted to humans as well as dogs, horses and other domesticated animals by the bite of infected ticks.

Scientists Identify Potential Key To Lyme Disease

ScienceDaily (Feb. 10, 2009) Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a protein that may help give Lyme disease its bite.

The findings suggest that the bacterial protein, which aids in transporting the metal manganese, is essential for the bacterium that causes Lyme disease to become virulent.

"We believe our findings provide a foundation for further defining metal homeostasis in this human pathogen and may lead to new strategies for thwarting Lyme disease," said Dr. Michael Norgard, chairman of microbiology at UT Southwestern and senior author of a study now online and in an upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lyme disease, discovered in 1977, is the most prevalent tick-borne infection in the U.S. Borrelia burgdorfei, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, lives in infected mammals and in the midgut of ticks. When an infected tick bites an animal or a human, the bacteria are transmitted to the new host. Infection causes fever, malaise, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint aches, and a characteristic "bull's-eye" rash that surrounds the site of infection.

To establish infection, however, the bacterium also must acquire a number of essential nutrients, including metals like manganese from its mammalian and tick hosts. Until now, no metal transporter responsible for this acquisition had been identified in this bacterium.

In the current study, microbiologists examined whether bacteria genetically engineered to lack this manganese transporter, called BmtA, transmitted Lyme disease to ticks and mice. The bacterium lacking the transporter, Dr. Norgard said, grows a bit more slowly in the test tube but is not dramatically different from the normal version.

"When you try to grow it in a mouse, however, it can't grow," he said. "The fact that the bacterium without this particular manganese transporter can't grow in a mouse raises important questions about what aspects of physiology and metabolism contribute to the pathogenicity of the organism."

Lead author Dr. Zhiming Ouyang, postdoctoral researcher in microbiology at UT Southwestern, said another newly discovered characteristic about the bacterium that causes Lyme disease is that it doesn't seem to require iron to function, something most other pathogens need to survive.

"Out of the thousands of bacteria known, the Lyme disease agent and only one or two other bacterial species do not require iron for growth," Dr. Ouyang said. "That raises the question as to what other metal co-factors the Lyme disease bacterium depends on to carry out the work that iron does for all these other biological systems. Our research suggests that manganese is a really important one."

The next step is to understand the exact mechanism of how manganese functions in the organism.

"I really think that there's also something to the notion that manganese may regulate the expression of other virulence factors," Dr. Norgard said. "It could be that manganese has more of an indirect effect, but more research is needed to determine what must happen for Borrelia burgdorfei to become virulent."

Researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine collaborated on the study.

The research was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

I think the concept of metals being conduits for spreading disease is something that is overlooked too much. I wonder about how vaccinations fit into this as vaccinations have metals in them used as perservatives. Autism as a result of Lyme disease is becoming more accepted as a cause of autism so if metal helps to spread bacteria then it would make sense that so many kids get sick after a jab or thirty jabs.

Another interesting fact is that bacteria in many cases needs iron to grow, another metal. This was discovered when a scientist was doing an experiment and one of the petri dishes had iron in it. It The bacteria grew so fast that the assistant thought she had done something wrong and threw out the first petri dish and started over but the same thing happened.

During the plague some people were immune to it. These people had hemochromotosis a disease that is fatal later in life. It causes the body to hoard iron. No iron, no plague. Interesting indeed.

I think it is impossible to be on the lookout for every potential risk, though, without going completely nuts so I shoot for balance. Metals are also important for our health. We need iron. Too much iron bad. Not enough iron bad. Our diets can deceive us into thinking we are getting enough nutrients b/c of the way our foods are grown, in depeleted soil/conditions. Also, undiagnosed Illness throws off what might have been a good balance as well, so we can go (did go) for years embroiled in a &quot;battle&quot; of which we are unaware. Additionally, I guess it's the ying/yang idea in tangeable form: balance. If we eliminate all things that can lead to disease we also eliminate many things that lead to health. Hmph. I guess all we can do is our best and see where we land. Great Post Sharon... lots to think about....

stand I agree. I wasn't in anyway implying that we should give up any of that but it's the understanding of the pathway that I am interested in. I had a marker/clip made partially from nickel in my breast after a biopsy and mold grew in my breast. I am genetically sensitive to nickel and I am trying to figure out the connection with metal that's all. But you are so right about depleted soil and balance, I totally agree. This is a good post and I appreciate your thoughtful response.

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